Gas-engine.



No. 628,125. Patented July 4, |899. w. s. sHAnPNEcK.

GAS Exams.

(Application med Oct. 20, 1898.-) 'mn Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

. sion.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. SHABPNECK, OF CHICAGQILLINOIS,ASSIGNOR OF 'lW'O-THIRDSv T JOHN D. ROSS AND EVERETT BROOKS, OF SAME PLACE.

GAS-ENGINE.

SPEQIFICATION forming part 0f Letter! Phl-11s No. 628,125, dated 31115' 4, 1899. v

Application led October 20, 1898. Serial No. 694,113. (No model.)

following is a speci (ication,A reference being A- -hadto the accompanying drawings.

This improvement relates to that class of gas-engines `in which the explosive mixtureis first compressed and then exploded' and allowed-to escape after driving the piston forward; and the invention consists in the pecul# iar construction of the piston, whereby 'the admission of the gas and the emission ofthe burned charge are governed in the manner hereinafter more particularly described and then definitely claimed at the end hereof.A

Inthe accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical cent-ral section of the cylinder and piston of an engine constructed according to 'my improvement, showing the pist-on in the position it occupies at the time the explosion occurs. Fig. 2 isa similar section .of the same parts immediately after the explo Figf 3 is a similar section at the time of the escape of the burnedcharge. Fig. 4 is a similar view at the time of taking in the charge, and Fig. 5 is a similar view when the charge is being compressed. Fig. 6 is a h ori,

zontal central section of the same parts.

Referring now to the details of the drawings bynumerals, 1 represents the cylinder,

- provided with the filler 2 and in which works the` piston' 3, having the connecting-rod 4 attached to its outer end. The piston consists of two main parts or sections 5 and 6, con'- `nectedby a neck 7, having a passage 8,wliich opens at one end into the working part of the cylinder, and its other end communicates at.

suitable times with the exhaust-port 9 and the inlet-port 10. The neck has also a smaller passage 11, whose ends terminate near the ends of the neck to prevent too great pressure in the space between the sections of the piston andra spoolllmow about to be described.-

Between the sections of the piston is set the before-mentioned spool 12, provided with packingrings 13 and 14, through which ringsand spool is a passage 15, whichregisters at the proper times with the exhaust'- and inlet ports and the passage 8. At each end of the spool a recess 16 is turned, so as to allow the ends of the spool to enter pockets y1'? inthe piston to form cushions. At 18 are shown contacts Afor making the spark. The passage 11 'should have its ends so arranged as to allow. of the spool moving perfectly free until l the end of the spool has fairly entered thev pockets.

. The operation is as follows: Supposingthe piston-to be in the position indicated by Fig;

1, as soon as the engine is startedthe spark from the contacts explodes, the charge and the .piston is driven forward,'so as to encircle the end of the spool, as shownvin Fig. 2, thus forming an air-cushion which prevents noise 'bythe contact ofthe piston with the spool. As the piston is driven still farther forward and has made half its travel in this direction the ,passage 15 cornes in line with the dischargeport 9, as shown in Fig. ,3, and theburned charge escapes. As the motion of the piston is continued by its own momentum and-that of the iiy-wheel (not shown) a vacu u m is formed,

. and as the pist-on reaches the position shown in Fig. 4 the exhaust is cut oi and communication -is established between the inlet and the acting part of the cylinder and a charge ofthe explosive mixture enters, for-'which there is .plenty of time, as the spool is sta'tionary for a considerable period after the crank has Apassed the center. As the piston starts to return the neck 7 slides through the spool, breaking connection between the passages 8 and 15, as shown in Fig. 5, andthzns as' the piston travelsback the charge is compressed in the cylinder, and when the piston starts to commence another stroke, as 'shown in Fig. 1, the vcharge is' exploded and the operation above described is repeated. As the passage l11 extends a short distance into the recesses 16 air can pass from one-end of the piston to the other for a portion of the time that the piston-neck is 'moving through 'the spool.

When the piston first begins to move, the y airis very much'compress'ed in the recess in which the end' ofthe spool is then contained, so that when the piston moves the compressed air in the partially-filled recess expands, and'.

as soon as the piston has moved far enough out of the recess to uncover the opening to the passage llthere is free communication between the recesses 16 at the opposite ends of the spool until the spool has entered the4 opposite recess and passed beyond that end of the passage 11, when compression again forms a cushion, as before.- y l In order to prevent the spool and packing rings from turning and thus disconnecting the passages S from the in-let and exhaust ports, a pin 20 is set through the spool and packing-ring and whose ends project into a slot 21- in the neck 7, which, will allow the spool and rings to slide on the neck and yet prevent their turning thereon; but any other means of preventing the turning of the parts referred to may be used.

What I claim as new is'- v l. The combination in a. gas-engine, of a cylinder having an exploding-chamber at one end and a gas-inlet at -the other, and a two- `part piston working in a cylinder and having its opposite ends connected by a stem, with a port opener and closer sliding lengthwise of the stem, the cylinder being provided with an exhaust-port near the center of the stroke of the piston,v andthe latter having a passage through the stem forming a communication between the exhaust and the exploding-cham ber, substantially 'as described.

2. The combination in a gas-engine, of a cylinder having an exploding-chamber atene end and a gas-inlet at the other, and a two-4 part elongated piston having its opposite ends connected by a stem, working in said cylinder, one of whose endscloses the gas-inlet at appropriate periods, with a port opener and closer sliding lengthwise ofthe stem, the cylinder having an exhaust-port near the center of the stroke of the piston, and the latter being provided with a passage forming a communication between the exhaust-port and the explosion-chamber, substantially as described.

3. The combination in a gas-engine, of a cylinder having an exploding-chamber at one end, a gas-inlet near the other end, an exhaust-port near the center, and a two-part piston connected by a stem working in said cylinder, one of whose ends closes the gas-inlet at appropriate periods,with a port opener and closer movinglengthwise of the stem and opening communication between the exploding-chamber and lthe gas-inlet and exhaustport, substantially as described.

4. The combination in a gas-engine, of a cylinder having an exploding-chamber at one end, a gas-inletnear the other end, and an exhaust-port near the center, with a two-part piston working in said cylinder, one of whose ends closes for appropriate periods the gas- 'inlet, the two parts of said piston being connected by a stem having a passage connected with the explodingchamber,and aport opener and closer sliding lengthwise of the-stem and opening communication between the exploding-chamber and the gas-inlet and exhaust alternately, substantially as described.

5. The combination in an engine, of a cylinder having inlet and outlet ports,l a .twepart piston having pockets and a port opener and closer working between the two parts of the piston and constructed to enter said pockets, substantially as described.

A6. The combination in an engine, of acylinder having inlet and outlet ports, a twopart piston connected by a neck and having pockets and a passage through the neck terminating near the pockets, with a portopener and closer adapted to enter said pockets, subsfntially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses, this 17th day of October, 1898.

WILLIAM S. SHARPNECK.

Witnesses:

CHARLES F. MORSE, JAMES C. F..BRAD`LEY. 

